New research shows that although denominations have seen decline, church planting is showing signs of new life.
LifeWay Research’s “State of Church Planting USA” found that approximately 4,000 churches are being planted in the United States each year—an all-time high. The study also discovered that the churches being planted are more diverse than in the past.
Many new missional, seeker-sensitive, “purpose-driven” and ethnic churches are springing up. Dave Travis, managing director at Leadership Network, which assisted in the study, sees a new generation driving the trend.
“There is this bulge of young adults that come up and begin to create new forms of institutional faith,” Travis said. “There will always be a need for new churches and new church plants to serve those needs.”
The study also debunked the common perception that new churches usually fail: 68 percent of the 4,000 churches planted each year are still functioning four years later.
